English+Department

English Department All English Courses cover the Pennsylvania academic standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening.

English 9th grade course English 10th grade course English/Keystone Literature English 11th grade course English 12th grade course I, II, III Speech/Writing 12th grade PSSA Reading or SAT Verbal Prep 11th grade Read 180

=**READ 180**=

Read 180 is an innovative reading intervention program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. READ 180 is a research-based program with proven results in raising student reading achievement. READ 180 uses cutting-edge technology to deliver individualized reading instruction, provide valuable skills practice, and motivate students to become confident readers. In our READ 180 class, students and teachers work together to: • Build essential literacy skills for college and career readiness. • Bring reading proficiency up to grade level. • Develop multi-paragraph writing skills. • Apply reading and writing strategies to other subjects such as social studies, science, and math. • Show students that they can attain reading success. This class meets for two periods each day.
 * __Read 180 (Stage B or Stage C): __**

__** 9th grade English **__

This course is designed to help students transition smoothly from junior high level work to senior high level work by building on the skills that students have already acquired. The curriculum for this course centers on the study of vocabulary, grammar, literature, and writing. First, the vocabulary studied will primarily come from the literature read and the literary terms studied. Second, grammar lessons will emphasize on correcting student weaknesses with the goal of improving their writing skills. Third, students will read and analyze a variety of literature covering the genres of short story, drama, poetry, and novel. The major works of literature students will read are, but not limited to: __Fahrenheit 451__, __Lord of the Flies__, __Animal Farm__, and //Romeo and Juliet//. Lastly, this course will have an added emphasis on writing. The writing process along with the writing structure will be modeled and taught. Students will be expected to write at least one paper in each of the following modes of writing: narrative, expository, and persuasive. Furthermore, students will learn how to respond to an open-ended question, similar to what they may see on a state exam. Whether through the essay writings or other assignments, students will acquire research skills and learn how to properly document their research using proper methods of MLA documentation. In addition, students will be expected to write and deliver one speech during their freshman English class.

__** 10th grade English: **__

Keystone Literature/English 10 is dedicated to helping all students accurately and effectively read, interpret, analyze and respond to fiction and nonfiction to find success in personal and academic pursuits, including the Keystone Examination. Thus, writing and grammatical instruction and study are embedded within most instructional units. Potential units of study are as follows:
 * Keystone Literature/English 10 Course Description: **
 * Short Story Unit with related nonfiction and fiction.
 * Sonnet Unit with related nonfiction and fiction.
 * Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare with related nonfiction and fiction.
 * Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck with related nonfiction and fiction.
 * To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee with related nonfiction and fiction.
 * Book Wars’ Unit – student choice/independent reading.
 * Keystone Lessons – biweekly anchor activities.
 * Vocabulary Lessons – biweekly anchor activities.


 * SAT (11th grade) or PSSA Verbal Prep: (10th & 11th grade): **

These classes will meet for 45 days. A determination will be made as to placement for 11th graders in either PSSA or SAT program based on previous PSSA results. All 10th graders will have one quarter of PSSA Prep. The course will provide students with strategies related to taking the SAT verbal test or the PSSA reading test. Critical reading, vocabulary, identifying sentence errors, and improving paragraphs, and essay writing will be stressed in the SAT course. The PSSA course will emphasize constructed-responses, identifying author’s purpose, figurative language and other facets of language arts tested on the PSSA.


 * __ 11th grade English: __**


 * //English 11-I/ENG 105: English Composition (Dual Enrollment)// **

__**Course Description**__ (from the Lackawanna College Catalogue)

English 105 strives to familiarize students with the writing process, empowering them to effectively produce polished, coherent academic essays, which employ critical, analytical, and research skills. This course applies a holistic approach to academic writing while helping students to develop clear, thoughtful essays in standard academic forms. Specifically, students' writing experience will culminate in the production of a properly organized, fully documented research paper.

In addition to the __Lackawanna College__ requirements, English 11-I is designed in accordance with the PA Dept. of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. Students will study American Literature from the Puritans through the post-moderns, write narrative, informative, and persuasive essays, and participate in Socratic Seminars. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the study of grammar and composition.


 * English 11- II: **

The English 11-II curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students who are considering college or technical school after graduation. This course is a survey of the major American literary periods and the most influential writers of each. The course begins with a study of Puritan literature and Enlightenment literature before moving onto the literary movements of Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism, and Modernism. The literature read will cover the genres of poetry, short story, drama, nonfiction, and novel. Furthermore, students will read excerpts of Western World literature and analyze their connection to American texts. Students will read, analyze, and discuss these literary works with the goals of improving student reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Some examples of the works covered comprehensively are, but not limited to: //**The Crucible, Uncle Tom's Cabin, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Death of a Salesman, and The Great Gatsby.**// In addition, great emphasis is placed on developing and refining students' writing skills. Students will write at least one essay in the following modes: expository, narrative, and persuasive. Students are also required to give one oral presentation and participate in graded class discussions. Equally important, students will spend time in-class acquiring research skills as they complete various research tasks. Students will also become familiar with and write according to MLA documentation and format guidelines. Finally, students will improve their vocabulary through literature-based lessons.

__** 12th grade English/Speech: (Dual Enrollment option) **__

This course is designed to be a stepping stone from high school course work to college/adult life by asking students to attack text and presentations more formally than ever before. The overall goal of this course is to allow students to not only be able to read, interpret, analyze, and respond to text, but to appreciate how text can influence society. In order to meet this goal, students will be reading several classic novels and their modern counterparts. They will have various activities, both written and verbal, throughout the reading of the text. In addition, students will critique news stories, both verbal and written, for possible bias. They will use their knowledge to create a daily news broadcast and school newspaper.

Finally, students will be learning about methodologies, strategies, and deliveries used to become confident and comfortable as public speakers. The students will complete a variety of formal and informal speaking situations based on real- life topics such as giving a toast, stating their opinion on a topic, and going to an interview.

This course is available for dual enrollment credit, in affiliation with __Lackawanna College__.